Browsing: legislation

This June, state lawmakers are expected to vote on renewing a 40-year-old tax exemption program, called 421-a, that tenant advocates and some local legislators have slammed as a complete debacle that has helped to line the pockets of large developers and pave the way for rapid gentrification. There are varying opinions on what to do with 421-a,…

Concerned by rapidly increasing property taxes for middle-class New Yorkers, the City Council is pushing a bill that would offer a property tax rebate of $500 for qualifying homeowners. A similar law was passed in 2004 under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but it was cut in 2007 due to the economic recession. Now that the city is rumored to be less…

Senator Martin Golden is looking to crack down on illegal home conversions. Any serious injuries that occur in or around a home that has been subdivided illegally could result in the owner of the home being slapped with a felony, according to legislation proposed by the senator Friday. In addition, anyone who subdivides a residence without the…

The city is cracking down on hookah sales, and they may be coming for Brooklyn next. As City Council proposes a bill to limit the sale of hookah supplies in stores, the city’s Health Department has moved to shut down a dozen hookah bars frequented by college students in Manhattan and Queens, after finding that they were illegally serving sheesha containing…

Councilman Chaim Deutsch is set to introduce legislation that will create a five-minute grace period in the hours of enforcement of the city’s dedicated bus lanes, which he said has created an onslaught of unfair violations for drivers caught in the lane just seconds after the cameras turn on. Camera enforced bus lanes are the…

Last month, Councilman Mark Treyger proposed a comprehensive bike safety legislation package to help minimize bike casualties, winning support from the City Council’s Transportation Committee, the mayor, and bike advocacy groups like Bike New York. But while no one thinks it’s a smart idea to text and cycle at the same time, not all bike advocates think the law would…

The first City Council hearing on a proposed mandatory fee for plastic bags at grocery stores and supermarkets took place yesterday, and it’s already proving to be one of the most divisive issues to come before the usually lockstep Council body. Capital New York reports: The bill, Intro. 209, is being championed by Council members…

The City Council passed a bill cracking down on illegal clothing donation bins Thursday. The law – introduced by Councilman Vincent Gentile – penalizes organizations that put drop-off bins on the street with no intention of giving the collected garments to the needy. The bill allows the city to remove the bins immediately, fining first-time…

The following is a press release from the offices of State Senator Marty Golden: State Senator Martin J. Golden, the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Science, Technology, Incubation and Entrepreneurship, today is announcing that he has introduced legislation that will allow the email of a person who has passed away to be accessed by the…

The New York City Council yesterday passed legislation that reduces the citywide speed limit on residential streets from 30 miles per hour to 25 mph, a move that lawmakers and advocates said would, if properly enforced, dramatically reduce traffic-related injuries and fatalities. After state legislators voted in June to allow the city to lower the…